The splendor of the Red Chamber, the power that reigns supreme.

Chapter 129: Congratulations to Alliance Leader [Wan Zui Yi] on an extra chapter!
In the dim shadows inside the door, Mrs. Lin rushed into Ximen Da Guanren's arms like a swallow returning to its nest.

Then she grabbed Ximen Da Guanren and ran towards the back garden of the central courtyard. When they arrived at a secluded pavilion in a corner, Madam Lin sat in Da Guanren's lap.

The satin robe of a third-rank noblewoman, with its densely woven gold pheasant pattern, faintly glowed in the dim light. The magnificent gold-embroidered cloud-patterned shawl on her chest was still in place, swaying slightly with her hurried movements, and even the gold-embroidered pendant of the shawl, symbolizing her rank, was still hanging down properly!

"Dear Father!" She wrapped her arms tightly around Ximen Qing's thick waist like red-hot iron hoops, her burning cheeks rubbing impatiently against his chest. "Today at the banquet... seeing you sitting there, Father, I wished I could immediately crawl into your arms like this! Let you pamper me! What about etiquette, what about the dignity of a noblewoman? At that moment... all I wanted was for your big arms to hold me, all I wanted was for you to whisper sweet nothings in my ear..."

Mrs. Lin raised her small hand and gently punched the man, her voice sweet and charming, a stark contrast to her dignified demeanor at the beginning of the meal: "I know... you like me wearing this!"

“This outfit… is for outsiders, a facade of respectability,” she said, her burning lips pressed against Ximen Qing’s earlobe, her breath like fire, each word like a hook, “but in front of Father, it’s… a facade stripped bare.”

The official laughed, "You little slut! You do know a thing or two!"

Mrs. Lin is pouring out her heart here.

Over there, in the Pear Fragrance Courtyard of the Jia family's Rongguo Mansion, flowers and trees flourished, and banana trees swayed gently, a place that should have been tranquil and cool. Yet, right there in the main room, a chilling atmosphere permeated the air, making it hard to breathe. There, the domineering Xue Pan, who had long lost his former swagger that roamed the streets, knelt upright on the ground. His purplish-red face was reflected in the blue brick floor, and large beads of sweat rolled down his temples, hitting his clothes and leaving dark stains.

Madam Xue, seated at the head of the table, sat upright in a rosewood armchair inlaid with mother-of-pearl. Her usually kind and dignified face was now deathly pale with anger, and her whole body trembled uncontrollably.

The hand clutching the handkerchief was so tight that the knuckles turned white, and the veins on the back of her hand bulged. Her chest heaved violently, as if a red-hot iron was stuck inside, the scalding breath rushing to her throat, choking her and rendering her speechless for a long time. Finally catching her breath, her voice had changed, becoming shrill and piercing, with a hoarse, broken sound that seemed to pierce the eardrums:

"You wretched creature! You vile seed! You foolish thing, struck by lightning and blinded by grease! You...you..." Madam Xue slammed her hand on the small rosewood table beside her, making the teacups on it clatter. "My Xue family has been pure for generations, how could we have raised such a lawless, trouble-making scoundrel like you! That Jia Rong...Rong-ge'er...he...how exactly did he die?! If you don't spit out every single word clearly today, you'll regret it! There are no outsiders in this room, so tell me! Tell me now!"

Xue Pan was terrified by his mother's fury. He shrank back and buried his head even lower, stammering, "Mother, please calm down... I really don't know! Master Rong... he's weak, or... or he ate something bad... He didn't have the skill to subdue tigers, yet he went into the tiger's den. It's normal that he got eaten by the tigress!"

"Nonsense! Nonsense, nonsense, nonsense! You are my son, don't I know you? Why has Rong-ge'er been perfectly fine all these years, but he died young after playing with you?" Madam Xue scolded him repeatedly before he could finish, then turned to Baochai and said:
"You won't talk, will you?! Quick, go and call a slave trader. We'll sell him for whatever price and get rid of this troublemaker so everyone can be clean!"

"Even if it doesn't work out, sell me off. I'd rather be a slave or die in the mud than be driven to my death by this unfilial son!"

After saying this, she was so angry that she saw stars and swayed violently, almost falling off her chair. Baochai, who was standing nearby, reacted quickly and stepped forward to steady her mother, calling out repeatedly, "Mother! Mother, please calm down! Your health is important!" At the same time, she quickly gestured to the maid to bring her ginseng soup.

Madam Xue leaned against Baochai's arm, her breath weak, her chest still heaving. Her finger pointing at Xue Pan trembled like an autumn leaf in the wind, her lips quivering, but she could no longer utter a curse. She was clearly furious and exhausted.

Baochai gently helped her mother to the inner room and settled her on the couch, whispering a few words of comfort. When she returned to the outer room, the gentle and warm smile that usually graced her face had vanished, replaced by an icy coldness. She walked up to Xue Pan, who was kneeling there, looking down at him with eyes like two bottomless pools of ice, fixed directly on his face.

“Brother,” Baochai’s voice was not loud, but it was sharp and low: “Now that things have come to this, do you still want to deceive everyone? You can still stammer in front of Mother; but do you think your sister is so easily fooled and easily deceived by you?”

Upon hearing this, Xue Pan looked up and stole a glance at his sister's face. He saw a layer of frost between Baochai's brows and knew something was wrong. Cold sweat poured down his forehead.

Baochai leaned forward slightly, her voice lowered, yet it grew even colder and more menacing: "If you don't tell me the whole truth today, from this day forward, don't expect me to cover for you in the slightest! Whether it's fortune or misfortune, life or death, you'll have to bear it yourself! We'll have no more brotherly or sisterly affection!"

These words struck Xue Pan like a heavy hammer. He knew that his younger sister was meticulous, shrewd, and well-liked in the Jia family. Without her help, he feared he would find it difficult to move forward, let alone cause such a huge mess.

His face flushed red and then paled, and after struggling for a long time, he finally couldn't withstand the invisible pressure. He lowered his head even further, and his voice, barely audible, trembled with sobs as he said:
“Good sister, to tell you the truth… it’s not really my fault! Jia Rong brought this on himself! It was me… it was me who got some… those… potent drugs from brothels…” Xue Pan was so ashamed he wanted to disappear into the ground. “The other day I was causing trouble outside, and relying on the effects of these drugs… I 'killed' those good-for-nothings from the Jia family until they were completely submissive, and they all call me the ‘King of Lust’.”

"Who knew...who knew that Rong-ge'er somehow managed to peek at my precious medicine, and while I was taking a bath, he sneaked into my room and stole a few pills! He...how could he know how potent that stuff was? He must have been greedy and swallowed several pills at once...and the result...and the result was that he died in that brothel...on a woman's belly!" Xue Pan said, his face turning ashen and his body going limp.

Upon hearing this, even the usually composed Baochai couldn't help but gasp, a chill running down her spine. Her beautiful, peony-like face instantly drained of color, leaving only a terrifying pallor. She stared intently at Xue Pan, her eyes blazing with a mixture of anger and icy despair, almost bursting forth. Suppressing her turbulent emotions, she forced out a few words through clenched teeth, her voice trembling with coldness:

“What a…what a ‘tyrant of lust’! The despicable and immoral things you’ve done are truly…truly…” Baochai was so angry that her chest tightened, and she choked on the rest of her words.

"Who do you take us for?! We're nothing but drifting duckweed, dependent on others! In this mansion, every word, every action, is like walking on thin ice, requiring utmost caution and prudence! We're afraid of making even the slightest mistake! And you, on the other hand!"

She pointed at Xue Pan, her fingertips trembling slightly from the force: "How dare you do such a despicable thing! And you even dare to flaunt it! Attracting those shameless scoundrels to peek! Now someone has died, and it was a member of the Ningguo Mansion's most trusted family! You...you're not just inviting trouble, you're dragging our entire Xue family, including my mother and me, into an abyss, leaving us nowhere to be buried!"
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them again, she had regained that almost cold calm.

“Listen,” Baochai’s voice was resolute, “You will keep every word you said today, including the medicine, the matter, and the reason for Jia Rong’s death, buried deep inside!”

"From this day forward, you are not allowed to mention this to anyone! Whether it's your mother, your uncles or aunts, or anyone inside or outside the mansion who asks, you must firmly deny knowing anything! If you dare to leak even the slightest word and cause a catastrophe, not even the Heavenly King himself can save you! Do you understand?!"

Xue Pan was already terrified out of his wits. He kowtowed repeatedly as if grasping at a straw, his voice trembling with sobs, "I remember! I remember! Don't worry, sister! I'd rather die than tell! I'll keep it to myself! Keep it to myself!"

Baochai glanced at him coldly, her gaze like a sharp, icy blade, making Xue Pan shudder and dare not look up again. Inside the Pear Fragrance Courtyard, only Xue Pan's heavy breathing and the rustling of banana leaves in the wind outside the window remained.

Inside the residence of Wang Zhaoxuan.

While fondling Madam Lin's fair and smooth face in his arms, Ximen Qing whispered in her ear with a calculating tone: "Now that you've met Lin Ruhai, you should understand. Take advantage of his reputation and connections in the capital, and you should set off to the capital as soon as possible to make some connections."

He pinched her waist hard with his fingers, "Find a good marriage for your third son! That's the important thing."

Mrs. Lin let out a soft groan as he pinched her, but instead of letting go, she wrapped herself around him even tighter like a water snake, almost hanging on him. She rubbed her cheek against his neck, her voice both coquettish and reproachful, filled with deep dissatisfaction: "Dear father! You, as my godfather, are you just going to ignore me like this?" She raised her watery eyes and looked at Ximen Qing with a pitiful expression.

Ximen Qing was so entangled with her that he could barely stand. He was both angry and amused, and he slapped her hard on the buttocks with his large hand: "You little slut! I'm just keeping an eye on you, aren't I?"

Upon hearing the words "It's none of your business," Mrs. Lin's face instantly brightened, blossoming into a radiant smile, like a cat that had successfully stolen some fish. She tiptoed and quickly pecked Ximen Qing's lips, her voice cloyingly sweet: "That's more like it! Remember what you said, to keep a closer eye on me!"

She buried her face in his neck again, greedily inhaling his scent, a languid contentment in her voice. "Don't worry, in the next few days... I'll pack my bags and personally make a trip to the capital. Not only will I find a good in-law for Sanguan, but I'll also find a good partner for my good father." As she spoke, her hands, which were wrapped around Ximen Qing's waist, slid down again, caressing his strong thighs through his clothes.

When Ximen Da Guanren saw the sky, he was both amused and exasperated. This woman was going to keep going. He grabbed her mischievous hand and said, "When you get to the capital, keep your eyes open and your ears sharp. Find out more about the eligible young ladies from the families of Grand Secretaries, Ministers, and nobles. Make sure you find a family that can give you, Wang Zhaoxuan, a good backer!"

Mrs. Lin chuckled, her eyes alluring: "I understand! With this title and the influence of Imperial Censor Lin... I will definitely find a very prestigious marriage for my son... no, for 'our' son!" She deliberately emphasized the word "our" and pressed herself even closer.

After leaving the side gate of Zhaoxuan Mansion, Ximen Qing, still savoring the passionate words spoken by Madam Lin in her official robes, spurred his horse onward!
A touch of lightness, a touch of autumnal sway!
Upon arriving at the gate of his mansion on Lion Street, he found the gatehouse brightly lit, with several servants peeking out, their faces filled with anxiety. Ximen Qing's heart skipped a beat; his earlier romantic thoughts vanished instantly. He knew the household rules well; unless something truly dire was about to happen, the lights would never be on so brightly, and the gates so unguarded, even past midnight!

"Are you courting death!" Ximen Qing cursed, his anger rising, and strode inside. The gatekeeper, seeing him, fell to his knees, stammering, "Father...Father's back..."

Ignoring them completely, Ximen Qing, his face grim, rushed straight to the front hall. Before he even reached the door, he could hear faint sobs and whimpers coming from inside, mixed with a woman's low pleas. His suspicions deepened, and he strode into the hall in two strides.

Good heavens! In the vast front hall, more than a dozen huge tallow candles were burning brightly, illuminating the space as if it were daytime. Right in the center of the hall, kneeling on the ground were seven or eight people who looked like blood gourds!

Leading the group was Li San'er, the warehouse manager in charge of purchasing goods from Suzhou and Hangzhou in his silk shop. The two behind him were Lai Wang and Lai Xing, the trusted second stewards of the mansion! The three men were dressed in tattered clothes, covered in mud and bloodstains, their faces were bruised and swollen, and their mouths were cracked. Lai Xing, in particular, had one arm hanging limply, clearly broken.

Seven or eight people knelt there, trembling like leaves, not daring to lift their heads.

Their wives hid outside, too afraid to come in, and wept softly.

At the head of the table, Wu Yueniang sat ashen-faced, clutching a string of Buddhist prayer beads tightly in her hand. Beside her stood her new head maid, Xiaoyu, who was also deathly pale with fright.

Upon seeing Master Ximen enter, the group bowed in greeting. As soon as Yue Niang saw Ximen Qing enter, she quickly rose from her chair and rushed forward to greet him: "My lord! You've finally returned!"

Ximen Da Guanren nodded, then glanced at the three people on the ground, before his gaze fell on Yue Niang's panicked face. The ominous premonition in his heart had become a certainty. He suppressed his anger, his voice as cold as ice: "What? Has the sky fallen or the earth caved in? What kind of show are you putting on in the middle of the night?!"

Moon Lady pointed at the three people on the ground in a low voice and said, "My lord... disaster has struck! The three of them have been kidnapped!"

"Robbed them?!" the official asked in a deep voice. "Robbed what?!"

The three kneeling on the ground were still trembling with fear, their souls not yet returned to their bodies. The second steward, Laiwang, who had more experience, suppressed his fear and the excruciating pain, and hurriedly spoke, his voice trembling with sobs: "Father... Father, please calm down! We deserve to die! We were ordered by Father to take... to take those eight hundred taels of silver to... to go south to buy the finest satin of various patterns."

Laiwang kowtowed, tears streaming down his face, and continued, "Father... who would have thought... that we would run into a gang of bandits in the Black Pine Forest, a hundred miles south of Qinghe County!"

Lai Xing, his arm in a sling, winced in pain and added in a hoarse voice, "Those damned bastards!! They were all masked, carrying gleaming broadswords and iron rulers! They kept saying 'Leave your toll!' We...we dared not resist! We begged for our lives, Father!"

Li San'er interrupted again, pounding his chest and stamping his feet: "My lord! We...we also said that this is Master Ximen's money, please, heroes, show mercy...but...but the leader of the bandits said that we don't care if it's East Gate or West Gate, we only recognize gold and silver!"

Laiwang wailed, "They dragged the children off the mule cart, punched and kicked them, beat them with sticks, and stole all eight hundred taels of silver, even the satchels that held the silver... they were all robbed clean, Father!"

He broke down in tears, repeatedly banging his head on the ground, crying, "We're useless! We couldn't protect Father's money! We deserve to die! We deserve to die!"

Master Ximen walked to the chair, and Xiangling quickly straightened the cushion. Jinlian poured some cool tea and stood beside him, ready to serve it at any time.

Eight hundred taels! A full eight hundred taels of pure silver! And yet, in the hands of these useless servants, it was stolen by a gang of petty thieves who appeared out of nowhere, as if it were child's play!

"You brought about seven or eight servants and porters with you! And they weren't even armed with firewood sticks! And yet... you just let them rob you of eight hundred taels of silver like they were chasing chickens and ducks?!" The official sneered.

The group looked at each other, speechless, and could only kowtow repeatedly.

Ximen Qing nodded, expressionless: "You three dogs! You eat my food, wear my clothes, and are fat and strong all the time! But when it comes to using you, you can't even protect eight hundred taels of silver! And you come back to me looking like this after being beaten up?! You've completely disgraced the Ximen family!"

Laiwang, kneeling at the front, endured the excruciating pain in his arm, his face contorted in grief, his voice hoarse: "Father...Father, please forgive us! It's not that we didn't fight...it's just...that group of damned thieves is incredibly fierce! They...they came on horseback! There were at least twenty or thirty of them! All of them were masked, and they were armed with real weapons!...They surrounded us completely, leaving no room to move! They...they were shouting...that they were heroes who had fled from the south, robbing the rich without mercy..."

Hearing this, Yue Niang, who was standing nearby, was terrified and couldn't help but interject, her voice filled with worry: "My lord... could it be... could it be one of those rebellious bandits? Or... a bandit king who has taken over the mountain?" She tightened her grip on the prayer beads.

The official shook his head. The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. He suddenly shouted sharply outside, "Dai'an! Where have you been?!"

The servant Dai'an, who had been peeking in from outside the door, was startled and scrambled in, saying, "Father! I'm here!"

"Go! Bring me Wu Ding! Quickly!" Ximen Qing's voice brooked no argument. Dai An, as if granted a pardon, darted out like a rabbit.

Soon, heavy footsteps approached from afar. Wu Song's tall figure appeared at the hall entrance, like an iron tower, instantly silencing the panicked atmosphere inside. His gaze, sharp as lightning, swept over the three disheveled figures on the ground, finally settling on the ashen-faced Ximen Qing. He clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Master, what brings you here?"

Ximen Qing pointed at the three men on the ground and said coldly, "Wu Dingtou, you've come at the perfect time! These three useless lackeys were carrying eight hundred taels of silver to Suzhou and Hangzhou to buy goods when they were robbed by a group of masked bandits on horseback in the Black Pine Forest, fifty miles south of Qinghe County! There were twenty or thirty of them, claiming to be bandits from the south, and they were ruthless! Yue Niang suspects they are bandits or outlaws, but I don't think they are either! You often travel around the Jianghu, so tell me, what kind of gang are they?"

Wu Song frowned, strode up to Li San'er, Lai Wang, and Lai Xing, and without a word, used his hawk-like eyes to carefully examine their injuries and the tattered clothes. He even bent down, rubbed the mud on Lai Xing's tattered clothes with his fingers, and smelled it. The hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop; only his heavy breathing could be heard.

After a long pause, Wu Song straightened up, faced Ximen Qing, and said in a steady and powerful voice, carrying an undeniable sense of experience in the martial world: "Master, in my opinion, firstly, he is definitely not a bandit!"

"Oh? Why?" Ximen Qing's eyes sharpened.

Wu Song pointed at the three men on the ground, his tone resolute: "In the world of outlaws, any hero who has established a name and occupies a mountain has their own rules. There are essentially two paths:

Even thieves have their code of honor; they take money but don't kill! When they encounter traveling merchants, if they rob them of their valuables and the merchant knows when to surrender, they often leave some leeway, even some travel money, so the person can return home alive. This is called "leaving a way out," and it's also a way to accumulate good karma, avoiding relentless pursuit by the authorities.

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the three men's severe injuries: "Either they're afraid of revealing their whereabouts and being tracked down by the government's henchmen! In such situations, to protect themselves, the more ruthless ones will... silence them! Clean and efficient, leaving no survivors, so the government has nothing to investigate! That's the 'ruthless method' used by outlaws to deal with anything that might expose their tracks!"

Everyone in the hall was terrified, and Yue Niang covered her mouth, her face turning even paler.

"Then... what about the bandits?" Yue Niang couldn't help but ask again.

“It’s even less likely they’re bandits!” Wu Song shook his head decisively, a hint of contempt flashing in his eyes.

"Why?" Yue Niang asked.

"Bandits?" Wu Song sneered. "Those rabble, who coerce refugees and gather in the mountains and forests, claim to be 'acting on behalf of Heaven' or 'eating the rich.' Their actions are often grand in scale but chaotic in their disorder. They plunder only to fill their stomachs, steal grain, and seize weapons, and their targets are mostly wealthy households, manors, and government granaries!"

"When have I ever seen bandits neglecting to plunder nearby estates, instead ambushing a merchant caravan on the main road with such precision? And why were they masked? Why were they riding fast horses with such methodical advance and retreat? And why did they specifically name names and demand revenge on my elder brother? This is clearly a well-defined objective! It is definitely not the work of a disorganized band of bandits!"

Wu Song, after all, was a member of the bandits and outlaws. His analysis was clear, logical, and forceful, earning nods of approval from everyone in the hall, including the high-ranking official.

The official's face grew even darker, his eyes flashing with cold light: "Neither bandits nor outlaws... yet they have such a clear target... so... they've come specifically for me? Seeking revenge?"

Wu Song nodded, pointing to Lai Wang's broken arm and the shocking bruises on the group of men: "Master, please look! This gang of thieves is ruthless; they clearly intended to make them suffer! But... they even kept these men to come back and deliver the message! What kind of bandit rule is this? 'Injury only, no killing,' and they even kept them back to relay the message... Humph!"

He snorted heavily, his eyes flashing with cold light: "This was clearly done on purpose! They wanted the master to know that they did it! They wanted the master to see these crippled servants and feel furious! They wanted to... slap the master in the face!"

The official's gaze, sharp as a knife, swept over the three men on the ground: "You dog slaves! Did you hear that? Think again! That gang of thieves, was there anything special about them? Their faces were covered, so we couldn't see them, but what about their hands? Their accents? Don't miss a single detail!"

The three were so frightened that their souls left their bodies, and they trembled like leaves, kowtowing repeatedly.

Na Laiwang, being a clever fellow, endured the excruciating pain of his beating wounds, his eyes darting around, and suddenly he remembered something. With a mournful face, he cried out, "Father! Father! My dear father! I... I remember now! When those damned thugs were fighting, their sleeves swung... exposing their wrists... and on that skin, there were bluish-green, bristly tattoos of things that looked neither like beasts nor ghosts! How filthy!"

Li San'er, who was standing next to him, was also grasped at a straw by his finger and said urgently, "Yes! Yes! Father, you are wise! I heard it too! When those thieves and men and women shouted, their accents were as mixed as those in the mule market! There was Bianliang Mandarin with phrases like 'Zhi Niang Zei' and 'Ru Ni Niang,' and there was also the southern accent with phrases like 'Diu Na Ma.'"

"It also contained some bird language that we couldn't quite understand... Listening to it... it didn't sound like the local dialect of Qinghe County, nor did it sound like a complete stranger from out of town!"

Lai Xing hurriedly added, his voice trembling with lingering fear: "Father, these people's movements were like they'd practiced a thousand times! Our guards are usually quite tough, but with that kind of coordination, they were like paper dolls. They're no ordinary people!"

"Black tattoos... a variety of sounds... a measured approach!" the official said in a low voice.

In today's world, such methods have a tainted air of official corruption. Ordinary petty thieves would never have such methods.

He and Wu Song exchanged a glance.
(End of this chapter)